Proposed Suspension upgrades

[mikepologti]

if it helps you can buy the white line sway bars cheeper through repco then you can direct form the site. dont ask me why but i got them like 30 or 40 dollars cheeper with the pair.

as for suspension im going h and r suspension if customs australia can get around to find a sharp stick and poking them a few times to determine infact that they are suspension and that im not trying to import endangered animals or drugs. , followed by control arm bushes and forge front and rear strut braces.

your selection has been tryed and true with a few members i belive and suits the bang for buck niche nicely.any ideas where your getting your parts from?

[h100vw]

I had Neuspeed anti-roll bars on my MK1 GTI and it was a real handful in the wet. Probably a lot slower round corners than a std car. It was really, really twitchy.

I agree with Stuwey on this point, be careful about introducing characteristics you don't want.

Gavin

[insanekiwi]

I have had a track day with rear sway bar alone vs. with both front and rear sway bar upgrades.

Rear sway bar upgrade alone can give you mild bit of oversteer, but the behaviour of the car is not as predictable.

After front sway bar installation, I could tell exactly what the car was doing when it was sliding into corners, etc. I felt that the car was so easy to drive and correct if you were not happy with the line.

I had 16" wheels (stock) then, and now with 17". I actually preferred how the 16" handled... don't know why, it just felt more controllable..

I have H&R spring setup with stock shocks. Have frontwish bone bushings upgraded through Shane.

I haven't got a front strut, and thinking of importing one in...

[Stuwey]

I like your theory, but if budget is a consideration (when is it not)

I'd betcha with just a well set spring and damper combo you'd be going a hell of a lot quicker than with only sway bars. Bang for your buck.

Looks to me like this guy has just taken a list of things possible and said 'yes' to them all with no real consideration of what is gonna happen at each stage. Suspension is an amazing, technical, mathematical thing which needs to be planned and thought out. Spring rates need to match car weight, dampers need to match the natural frequency of the undampened vehicle, and sway bars are the last mod which you should be using to 'trim' the vehicle.

Suspension: http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets5.html

Shocks (dampers): http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

Read and learn, guys.

[Jmac]

I had Neuspeed anti-roll bars on my MK1 GTI and it was a real handful in the wet. Probably a lot slower round corners than a std car. It was really, really twitchy.

I agree with Stuwey on this point, be careful about introducing characteristics you don't want.

Gavin

Yeah i try to steer people away from the hard settings on the bars, this can be a handful if your not careful, could see yourself skidding on your lid for sure
Cheers
Jmac

[RhysQ]

I've just got the H&R 35mm springs in with stock shocks and to be honest, when I first got them in, I thought they were great. After about a month, I realised the handling wasn't all it's cracked up to be, the knocking started and the high speed bounce really got to me. I was regretting my purchase.

HOWEVER, forget your sway bars, strut braces etc., the car is too narrow for that gear to make a significant improvement. They can be more trouble than they're worth sometimes (as people have found out). For me, I got a set of 8" wide wheels and a decent set of spacers (the tops of the rims sit in-line with my wheels arches, the bottoms stick way out thanks to increased camber). Yes I know spacers are illegal, but there's not much past a new set of rims that isn't illegal these days. Most importantly, the car now sits completely flat through quick corners with no tyre screech or understeer, it's completely gone. The grip is just unbelievable. I now love the H&R's, it just seems they needed to be on a car a little wider.

I drove a friends standard Polo GTI the other day and thought I was going to either slide out or tip over heading into a fast corner, the body roll and handling were that bad in comparison.

[sim]

Interesting, I think for now i'm just going to go with the B8s and Springs

[Jmac]

Go solid bushes too mate while you are at it in one hit. I have a load of bushes on the way from UK
Cheers
Jmac

[noone]

Yeah, similar here with the H&R's. Spring only upgrade is better than stock, but has its downsides...

I think the strut brace should def go in. Its only combating flex in the chassis that is probably negative to the cars longevity. I've been surprised what a difference this part on its own has made for grip and general flat handling.

I'm really keen to get my new coilovers in, not only for me, but if they are good, its a cheap option that I wasn't aware of when i did my springs.

Disagree about the sway bar not working, have you tried one? Worked a treat on mine... Personally, I'd rather have a road legal car where I can't somehow end up uninsured or in court (yes, stupidly low chance, but why take it).

Interesting that the wider setup has worked for you, the stock shocks are still mis matched to your springs, so I'd assume over bumps or at speed you'd still find patches where the grip isn't quite there.

So many options... So many ways to go, wishing I had the money for KW's when i started, then I wouldn't be playing with all this.

[RhysQ]

here's how my rear wheels sit now. you can see the top of the rim is in-line with the arch and the amount of camber.

oh, excuse the rubbish in the background